Higher Ed Data Stories

This is a good example, I think, of how data visualization helps you make sense of things: Even simple things like a small table of data. In this case, the table is from The College Board, showing changes in the percentage of in-state freshmen in our nation's public universities.  You can see the raw data by downloading Table 28, here . What you can't see by looking at that table, of course, is the overall pattern.  That's where a picture comes in. T here are only tw o numeric values in the table: Percentage of freshman enrollment that are state residents in 2002 and 2012.  I added a third, by subtracting one from the other.  Then I put them on a   choropleth hex map, a format I like because all the states are the same size.  On this map, orange colors show states where the percentage of in-state residents has increased; purple shows a decrease, and grays are mostly even. Be careful about  interpreting  this data. This  visualization ...

Note: I tweeted a link that was set up for mobile, and thus the visualization scrunched down to almost nothing.  If the URL has m=1 at the end, just delete it, or click on the title above to go to the desktop/iPad version. The College Board just published long-awaited concordance tables to compare new SAT scores to old, and new SAT scores to ACT. You can download the data here if you wish , or look at them visually below.  The tables in the data correspond to the tables on the visualization (that is, for instance, that Table 7 in the College Board worksheet can be viewed on Dashboard 7 here, using the tabs across the top.) For convenience, Old SAT scores are always in light gray.  Notice also I've labeled the chart when the axes are not synchronized. As this data is public, I have cited the original source, its purpose is educational, and this blog is not monetized, I believe the use of it in this format falls under Fair Use . As always, hover over the dots for ...